Providence Canyon State Park (3-25-18)

Providence Canyon State Park in southwestern Georgia is a place I’ve had my eye on visiting for years. Do a quick search and you’ll see pictures that are more reminiscent of scenes you may have seen of the Southwest rather than the Deep South. Multi-colored cliffs and pillars of rock rise from the forest creating a maze of 150-foot deep ravines. The place is billed as “Georgia’s Little Grand Canyon” and, though that may be a bit of an exaggeration, it is still a fascinating place of amazing and unique natural beauty. I have to be careful of how I use the word ‘natural’ here however. The fact is, the red and white cliffs of Providence Canyon are not entirely the work of mother nature herself. Two hundred years ago this area looked much like any other piece of southern forest…rolling green hills but nothing so dramatic as what exists today. The catalyst for the formation of the canyons came with the arrival of the first settlers to the area in the early 1800’s. As pioneers across the country were want to do they soon set about clearing the forests for agriculture. Unaware of the stabilizing effects on the soil that the trees and shrubs growing there had, it didn’t take long for rains to begin erode the landscape. With each successive year the gullies grew deeper and in a geologic blink of an eye, barely a hundred years, the dramatic cliffs and spires seen today had been carved out of the barren hillsides. Today the forests have returned, filling the ravines and lining the tops of the cliffs, bringing some degree of stabilization to the rampant erosion of years past. This is still an extremely fragile environment, however, so if you do decide to visit please heed park warnings about climbing off-trail. This is a place of incredible natural wonder which would be a tragedy to lose due to the selfishness of inconsiderate visitors. Explore with care and Providence Canyons’ cliffs and pinnacles of red, orange, white, purple, and yellow will be there to enjoy for generations to come.

The 1,100-acre park has around a dozen miles of trails to explore, about half of which center around the canyons themselves. My hike on this visit would center on the three mile loop which circles the nine main canyons. The loop trail is well-marked and well-traveled and is easy to moderate in difficulty. The trailhead is located behind the small visitor center and museum and I’d begin by following along the upper rim for the first mile or so of my walk. The trail is squeezed between the park road and the canyons here so it’s not exactly a wilderness experience but the frequent overlooks that the trail passes make for a scenic walk none-the-less. After about a mile the trail begins to swing around to the south to descend into the canyon passing a collection of old, rusted automobiles which the park has decided to leave due to the cost and difficulty of removing them. Quickly loosing elevation the trail soon reaches a wet crossing of a shallow, sandy stream. This is where the canyon exploration portion of the hike begins. Signs here point up the stream to canyons numbered 6,7, and 8 but you’re not going to find any marked trails by following it. To get up into the canyons you simply have to walk upstream towards the cliffs. Walking up this first stream I soon arrived at another split where the streambed leading up to Canyon #8 splits to the right of the one heading up to #6 and #7. A sign once again marked the junction. Even though these are not established trails I found it fairly easy to navigate my way as all I had to do was head upstream until I could go no further, usually by arriving beneath towering cliffs. After making my way up into this first set of canyons I retraced my steps back to the main trail and continued on, up and over a small hill, before arriving at a second and much larger stream draining from the remaining five canyons. Turning up this wide streambed I soon arrived at another signed split with the stream leading to Canyons #4 and 5 heading right and #1-3 on the left. Exploring the first two, I then backtracked once again to head up to the last three. Pretty simple, right? After that I returned to the main trail for the somewhat steep quarter-mile climb back to the trailhead.

This was as beautiful a hike as I expected. I enjoyed seeing the canyons from above and then getting to see them up close and personal from below. Of the eight canyons I explored #4-8 are unquestionably the prettiest. The floors of these ravines are more open, and the cliffs and pinnacles much taller in these four canyons. Canyons #1-3 are less impressive. For the most part the forest hides the surrounding cliffs…in Canyon #1, for instance, there aren’t really cliffs to see at all. Still it was nice, for the sake of completion, to be able to say I had hiked them all. Overall this was an amazing place to visit. The scenery is so fantastically unique, considering its location, that it’s hard to find a bad word to say about it. Yes, I found it to be quite busy and yes, the disregard for some people staying on the trail and the graffiti carved in the rocks at times annoyed me but the enjoyment I found here is still without question. That all said, I invite you to join me now as I explore a remarkably unique corner of the Deep South…a place where nature has turned man’s ignorance into something beautiful to behold. I present to you Providence Canyon State Park...and, as always, ENJOY!!!

Providence Canyon State Park (3-25-18)

My route through Providence Canyon as tracked by the Gaia GPS app and depicted a la Google Earth...

Providence Canyon Hike Route Map

My route through Providence Canyon as tracked by the Gaia GPS app...

Providence Canyon State Park

Entering Providence Canyon State Park off Georgia Highway 39C west of Lumpkin...

Providence Canyon Visitor Center

The trailhead for the Canyon Loop begins behind the visitor center, seen here. Inside is a nice little museum explaining the history of the site as well as a small souvenir shop...

Canyon Loop Trailhead

Stepping out behind the visitor center the start of the loop is obvious. After signing the hikers register I had the choice of heading right (which would take me immediately down into the canyons) or left along the canyon rim. I decided to take the left and see the canyon from above first, saving what I hoped would be the most scenic part of the hike for last...

Canyon Loop Trail

Within a few steps I was treated to the first views of Providence Canyon through the trees...

Canyon Loop Trail

The portion of the loop along the rim is squeezed between the edge of the canyon and the park road. This makes for a very busy environment that degrades the impact of the scenery a bit...

Canyon Loop Trail

Looking across Canyon #1 as I approach the first major overlook. If you look close you can see the visitor center just inside the trees across the way...

Here the trail cuts along the edge of a large grassy opening containing the park picnic area...

Canyon Loop Trail

The overlook located behind the picnic area is arguably the nicest along the entire rim. Here the spires and cliffs of Canyons #4 and #5 can be seen. The more open floors of these canyons allow you to see the true depth of the ravines...

Canyon Loop Trail

Looking down into Canyon #4...

Canyon Loop Trail

The sheer red and white cliffs surrounding Canyon #5 from the overlook...

Another opening in the trees allows for a look back in the opposite direction across Canyons #5 and #4...

Canyon Loop Trail

The excitement was certainly building by this point to get down inside the canyon...

Canyon Loop Trail

Nearing the last of the overlooks Canyon #6 opened up beneath...

Canyon Loop Trail

Huge rock spires rise from the forested floor of Canyon #6 as seen from the last overlook area...

Canyon Loop Trail

Huge rock spires rise from the forested floor of Canyon #6 as seen from the last overlook area...

Canyon Loop Trail

Looking down Canyon #6 with Canyon #7 extending out of frame to the left...

Canyon Loop Trail

This small platform overlooks Canyon #7 but the ravine is so choked with trees there really was't much to see...

Canyon Loop Trail

Plenty of warning signs tell me some exciting trail is yet to come...

Canyon Loop Trail

Beyond the overlook of Canyons #6 and #7 the trail begins a wide swinging arc to the east and south as it seeks a way towards the bottom of the canyons...

Canyon Loop Trail

In the mid-20th Century, for some unknown reason, a number of unwanted vehicles were left to rot in the forest atop the canyon rim. According to signage nearby the park has determined that they now provide unique habitat for park plants and animals and would simply be too difficult and possibly damaging to remove. Therefore here they sit...quite easily the biggest oddity one passes on this hike...

Canyon Loop Trail

Looping around to the east side of the canyons through the automotive graveyard...

Canyon Loop Trail

Passing a couple more old cars adorned with a fresh coat of graffiti...

Canyon Loop Trail

Passing the last of the old wrecks...

Canyon Loop Trail

In the mid-20th Century, for some unknown reason, a number of unwanted vehicles were left to rot in the forest atop the canyon rim. According to signage nearby the park has determined that they now provide unique habitat for park plants and animals and would simply be too difficult and possibly damaging to remove. Therefore here they sit...quite easily the biggest oddity one passes on this hike...

Canyon Loop Trail

After the auto graveyard the trail continues its leisurely path through the trees, in no hurry to loose elevation...

Canyon Loop Trail

Finally making the final drop into the canyon from the east...

Canyon Loop Trail-Canyons #6-8 Spur Junction

After a brief, moderate, final descent the trail reaches low ground beneath the canyons at this shallow sandy-bottomed stream. As you can see the main trail heads directly across. These streams, however, are the main thoroughfares up into the canyons. At this first crossing I'd make the turn up the creek where shortly signage would appear pointing me to Canyons #6-8...

Canyons #6-8 Spur

If you weren't aware already, having a waterproof pair of shoes is a good idea on this hike. Most of the routes up into the canyons follow shallow streams like this...

Canyons #6,7-Canyon #8 Spur Junction

Within a few minutes of turning upstream from the main trail at the first crossing, the stream splits and a sign directs the way towards the nearby canyons still unseen ahead...

Canyon #8 Spur

Anticipation builds as I follow the tiny shallow stream which provides the route up into Canyon #8...

Canyon #8 Spur

There was something about walking these little streams that was immediately appealing to me. Likely because, just like the canyons themselves, they presented a unique experience among hikes I've done in the south...

Canyon #8 Spur

Soon enough high cliffs started to appear through the treetops ahead. Here, another trail branches off the main stream-route I was following. Because there are no official trails into the canyons one comes across many such spurs which branch off in all directions. It makes exploring here a bit of a choose-your-own-adventure...

Canyon #8 Spur

Keeping on towards the what I hoped was the head of the canyon...

Canyon #8 Spur

Suddenly the colorful cliffs closed in above...

Canyon #8 Spur

A red-tipped pillar of stone above...

Canyon #8 Spur

Near the head of Canyon #8 looking back. You can clearly see the maze of trails which criss-cross the forest here. There's no preferred route...I simply looked for the most promising path and headed in that direction...